A new look for Shelby Farms Park (Video)

The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is about to launch what will probably be the largest project it will ever undertake.

The Conservancy plans to break ground in mid-June on its $52 million “Heart of the Park” expansion of Patriot Lake – already the largest lake in the nation’s largest metropolitan park.

As part of the expansion, the lake’s size will increase from roughly 52 to 85 acres for $25 million and the Conservancy will add multiple new amenities around the lake, including a new Visitors Center, amphitheater, and an events center with a restaurant attached.

The expansion will also mean more visitors for a 4,500-acre park that has already had visits triple to about 1.5 million since the Conservancy took over in 2008.

But visitors aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the expansion, which is part of a larger $70 million project – “Phase One” of the park’s Master Plan.

Shelby County, which gives $575,000 a year to the park, will see the park’s annual economic impact grow from $6.8 million to $13.6 million, and will get a one-time impact of $140.9 million, according to an economic impact study conducted by Younger Associates.

A big part of that impact will come from the Conservancy’s employee base, which will grow to 192 from 87, counting both indirect and direct employees, according to the impact study.

As soon as June 2, the county commission could approve $3 million for the project, which has already raised $63 million, says Conservancy executive director Laura Adams.

“It’s a pretty good investment for Shelby County if you think about it,” she says. “We don’t own any of it. The Conservancy builds it all, and it’s all owned by the citizens of the county. So, for a $3 million investment, the county will get $70 million in improvements.”

The park’s operating costs will grow to $4.5 million with 50 full-time employees from $2.5 million with 25 full-time employees now, Adams says.

Adams says she hopes the work to the park could spur development at other sites nearby, including the Fischer Steel Road area to the north.

“If you’re going to have a huge park in the middle of your community, it should accomplish a lot for your community,” she says.

The Conservancy is hoping to make the changes to the park without disrupting its visitors’ plans, Adams says. The entrance to the park and the Shelby Farms Greenline will be rerouted before the rest of the construction begins.

Montgomery Martin Contractors LLC will oversee the construction. Marlon Blackwell Architect designed the buildings and James Corner Field Operations prepared the master plan.